How Raiders Could Learn From Chargers About Creating Identity

The Las Vegas Raiders' division rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, turned things around quickly in 2024. They could be a blueprint for the Raiders moving forward.

Dec 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to quarterback Justin Herbert (10) after a victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders will conclude their 2024 season the same way they started it, with a match-up against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Last offseason, the Raiders and Chargers were in similar positions. Both teams missed the playoffs and were looking for new coaches. 

Unfortunately for Antonio Pierce, his Raiders have gone in the wrong direction, while Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers have surged into a playoff spot. 

The Chargers took down the Raiders in Week 1, 22-10, as the offense never got going. Harbaugh made a statement against a team the Chargers split with often in the last few years.

Harbaugh is a major reason the Chargers have had such a quick turnaround. Although their roster is not supremely talented, Harbaugh and his staff have done an excellent job putting players in the right spots. 

Harbaugh has been a winner at every stop of his college football career. Whether he is at the college level or in the pros, it does not take him long to build a winner. 

Everywhere he has been, Harbaugh’s teams are built the same way: they run the ball and defend at a high level. That is a solid formula for beating almost every team you face. 

The Raiders must find a similar identity. While Pierce has cultivated toughness and competitiveness in the Silver and Black locker room, there is no identity on either side of the ball. 

While not every coach can turn things around as quickly as Harbaugh has at his many stops, he builds his teams’ identities on the fundamentals of football, which every coach can – and should – hammer home for their teams. 

Pierce’s first full season leading the Raiders has been a rough go, but things can improve next season. He and General Manager Tom Telesco must work together to find the right offensive coordinator to finally find stability on that side of the ball. 

The Chargers took a hard look at their organization when they hired Harbaugh and knew things had to change if they wanted to become a winning team again. 

It may be painful to admit, but the Raiders could learn a lesson from their division rivals on how to turn things around.

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